Commander in Chief
by TheNewIdea
Summary: Arbiter arrives to his home planet to begin his Presidency of the Covenant only to face assassination attempts and the threat of a civil war. Meanwhile the Master Chief remains drifting in space as Cortana slowly beings her rampancy as they nervously wait for rescue, the hope and promise of home dwindling by the minutes. All seems to be lost.
1. Chapter 1

2557- January 1st

Arbiter could feel nothing but guilt that he had lived and John had died. Still, life must go on. Now above his home planet Arbiter had a feeling that perhaps, if the Higher Powers were kind, he would see John again.

"Scan the area" Arbiter commanded to Tanner, the Elite ship technician, "Search for any signs of life within reasonable distances."

Tanner nodded and did as he was told, "Sir there's nothing" he replied, "Just empty space. We've been at it for months, face it, he's gone."

Arbiter sighed; he refused to believe that John was dead despite the overwhelming evidence that supported it. It took everything that he had not to go back into deep space and search again, but he knew that it was futile. They had been searching for four years, ever since the Halo Event occurred, with no results; it was time to go home.

"Ship Master" Arbiter bellowed, "Take us down. It is time we return to our rightful place."

The Ship Master gave the command for re-entry as Arbiter sat down in the large chair that was made for him. Looking around the ship the Elite noticed how empty it seemed, the crew, despite their size, was weak in morale, they hadn't fought since the war ended. They were restless, weary and anxious to be with their families.

"In the next two hours we will be home" Arbiter said to himself, "We will finally have peace. All those under the Covenant shall become one people, one nation under one ruler. If I am successful, John's death will not have been for nothing."

Entering capitol city airspace Arbiter could only look at the city's majesty. Hundreds of skyscrapers made up the skyline, each of them unique in their design, all of them shining and clean as if war had not plagued it. The most impressive of these buildings was the High Temple, in which the former High Prophets resided and ran the government. The Holy City, that was once above the planet, had been reduced to nothing, only small fragments of it were salvaged and thanks to technology of the day, the Temple remains intact.

"It's amazing what a few years can do" Tanner exclaimed excitedly as he looked out the nearest window, "The finest architects in the universe couldn't do better!"

"It is a sight to see" Arbiter agreed, "But I do not think that we will get the warm welcome treatment."

Tanner huffed, "Arbiter those days are long past. You're a hero not a heretic, the people know that. With you as President, things are going to be a lot better you'll see."

Arbiter could only hope that he was right, in his heart he knew that the position of President was a lofty one, one that required politics instead of military strategy. Unfortunately, Arbiter was an Elite of few words, preferring to let his actions speak for him. Now it seems he would have to put on an entirely different hat, one that he was not accustomed or, at least in his mind, deserving to wear.

Stepping off of the ship, Arbiter was greeted neither by weapons nor applause, the hangar bay being completely empty save for a few workers on the other side of the room.

"I guess they're somewhere else" Tanner said hopefully, "Maybe we're early?"

Arbiter shook his head, "I believe we're right on time actually. Which I guess technically speaking, is late."

The Ship Master sighed, for he thought the least that the people would do would give Arbiter some kind of recognition. To compensate for this he stood at full attention, causing Tanner and the other crew in view of him to do the same.

"Company attention" Ship Master yelled causing Arbiter to turn around, "President on deck, hard salute!"

The crew saluted and held it for ten seconds before going back to full attention as if they were waiting for further orders. Arbiter saw this and decided to humor them one last time.

"As Arbiter" he began, "I could not ask for a better crew. You did what no one else would, when we could have simply gone home to families instead we searched far and wide for our friends. I know that you will never know them or what kind of people they were, but I knew them and you know me as a judge of character."

A small laugh came from the crew, Arbiter waited for it to subside before continuing.

"My heart still grieves heavily for the loss, even after all this time, but with your help, maybe things can get back to normal. I know not what the future holds, but I will say this, you are officially relieved from your military service for three years to be with your families."

At this the crew let out a thunderous cheer praising Arbiter's name, with the lifting of his hands Arbiter silenced them once more.

"May the Higher Powers judge us kindly for all that we have done" Arbiter concluded, "May it be enough to erase our crimes and achieve salvation long sought and justly earned."

As Arbiter turned to walk away he felt a large and heavy weight lift off of his shoulders, this was to be replaced by an even greater weight, one that required the ruling and overseeing of an entire planet in need of a government.

Walking into the High Temple down a long hallway towards his room, Arbiter was met by Pestilence and Stain, a Grunt and a Jackal respectively. Pestilence was strangely tall for a Grunt, almost as if he were a hybrid of some kind. Stain was the exact opposite, being short for a Jackal but with a long face like that of a horse. Both of them had served under Arbiter during the Reach Operations and both were incredibly loyal as Grunts and Jackals were.

"Welcome back sir" Pestilence said happily, "How was the search?"

Arbiter said nothing, giving Pestilence his answer; Stain gave him a hard look that told him to be quiet.

"Long, unsuccessful and painful" Arbiter answered as he reached the door to his chambers," If you will excuse me gentlemen I need to be alone."

Pestilence and Stain nodded and walked away down the hall to tend to other matters. Arbiter gave a deep sigh and opened the door to his room.

Arbiter's room was simple, it was not extravagant, he didn't want it to be should news reporters make surprise visits and think thoughts and opinions that were completely false. Arbiter was many things but rich was not one of them; he was a leader who wasn't skilled at politics, a friend who deserted the one person in the world he had anything in common with and a genius who was still by galaxy standards a first class idiot. Arbiter was many things, but he was not who the people needed him to be.

_"The security of the Covenant rests with me"_ Arbiter thought to himself, _"How is it possible? To carry the weight of the world and yet still have a back, a spine with which to make decisions that for some will mean the end of everything that they know? Politics are a devil's creation; only through the purity of war can peace be achieved. The unfortunate truth of the matter is at the end of all war order must be restored, which ironically requires politics."_

A knock at the door caused Arbiter to walk back to it. Opening the door he was met by Pestilence, Tanner, Stain and the Prophet of Unity, the only Prophet that was female and bestowed upon to Elites. She was Arbiter's wife and was, at least by Elite standards, the most beautiful in the entire galaxy.

"You said you would be back four years ago" Unity began, "What took you so long?"

Arbiter shook his head annoyingly, "I've been gone for close to a decade and that's the first thing you say to me?"

Unity smiled and embraced him, "Of course I'm happy to see you dear!" she exclaimed, "It's just that I-I-I thought you were dead."

"Nothing could keep me from you" Arbiter answered, "Not even death."

Pestilence, Stain and Tanner took the cue and silently made their way out, whatever it was they had to say could wait until later, now Arbiter needed to be with his wife, Tanner at the same time also had somewhere to be and so headed in that direction as fast as he could go.

Arbiter slowly walked to the other side of the room facing a large window that overlooked the city, it was beautiful, for the sun was just now hitting the horizon as the day came to an end bringing on the night and the beginning of both a new day and a new era, one of prosperity and peace.

"To think that I would able to feel such things" Arbiter said aloud to himself, not caring that his wife was in the room, "Emotions have...escaped me before, now it seems I finally understand what he was saying."

Unity walked over and gently wrapped her arms around him in a loving but casual embrace.

"It doesn't matter now" she replied, "You're home."

Arbiter wanted to believe that was true, but deep inside he knew that it wouldn't last; he knew that he would be back in deep space fighting another war that he didn't want to fight but somehow was involved in. In a strange way he hoped that John would the cause of it, to give him reason to go back, but for now Arbiter was home.

Two hours later Arbiter stood on a balcony of the High Temple before a crowd of over 1.5 million Covenant spanning all the races of the Elites, Brutes, Jackals, Grunts and Hunters. To make it more formal, the Arbiter had his fully loaded Covenant Carbine as well as a human Assault Rifle, a gift from John, slung across his back in an X formation.

"Today we honor those who have fallen" Arbiter began, "By ushering in a new age of prosperity and the end to the hardships of the Great War."

Cheers, applause and general merriment came from the majority of the audience, there were a select few who said and did nothing, their faces stoic and without feeling. Arbiter continued nonetheless, ignoring the audience's uproar.

"Many of you have lost brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and for that you have my deepest sympathies."

For a single moment everyone, even Arbiter himself became somber, each of them remembering their fallen family members. Arbiter thought of John. When a respectable amount of time had passed, Arbiter lifted his head as proudly as he could display and pushed forward with his proclamation.

"My first decree as your President is that all members of this Covenant- Elites, Brutes, Jackals, Grunts, and Hunters, are now officially declared equal and free. They may do what they wish as long as they abide by the laws that have already been issued."

This was met with mixed reviews; Arbiter could hear some shouts of revolution and talk of the Great Journey. It was time to set the record straight once again, for religion, like all things, is difficult to change once it has already been established in the minds of people.

"The religion of the Great Journey was a lie" Arbiter continued, "It has always been a lie. If the Halo rings were activated the entire universe would have faced eradication. The Flood would be gone, that is true, but all life as we know it would end."

A sniper blot went through the balcony that Arbiter was standing on, missing the Elite by inches. Almost immediately Tanner, who was waiting quietly in the shadows, appeared and pulled out his rifle. Before anything else could happen, the shooter, a disgruntled Brute, was brought before Arbiter by Tanner's forces.

Arbiter stared at the Brute and said nothing, his eyes doing most of the work in an attempt to read the Brute's mind. It did nothing.

"Assassination attempts are punishable by death" Tanner explained, whispering in the Brute's ear, "You would be lucky if he kills you slowly. Kneel before him, declare your allegiance and all will be forgiven."

"There is no need for that" Arbiter replied, "I am a President, not a King or a tyrant. Let the people decide what to do with him."

The Brute laughed at this, "Ha! I knew it. The Arbiter is too spineless to kill, he is weak!"

The Brute spat in Arbiter's direction, his teeth were orange, stained with blood. Bits of bone could be seen sticking from them. A cannibal or an overzealous warrior, it made no difference, either way it was the sign of a lunatic.

"The Prophets made us strong" The Brute declared, "United us through a religion that has only just begun."

The ones in the crowd who had remained silent before, now were in a full frenzy, almost as if a revolution were taking place. This was immediately stopped by the local police and those in the crowd with enough sense to stop the madness, slowly but surely, things returned to normal.

"The Great Journey will happen one way or another." The Brute concluded, "Nothing can stop it, not even you!"

The Brute pulled out a plasma grenade and threw it on Arbiter's face; he then let out a gut wrenching scream as Tanner's sword ran through him, his body falling off of the balcony and into the street below where it hit with a thundering thud and a voiceless audience.

Arbiter desperately tried to pull the grenade off but to no avail. He stopped for a moment and simply decided to breathe. Arbiter closed his eyes as a single tear fell from them, he was shaking as if death was a new concept for him, despite being a soldier and accustomed to it daily.

"Never forget" Arbiter said solemnly as he looked down, seemingly accepting his fate.

Tanner turned towards Arbiter as quickly as he could, despite every instinct to run to safety he remained where he was, content to die with Arbiter if that was his destiny to do so.

"Throw me off the balcony" Arbiter commanded, "It will detonate before I reach the ground."

Without so much as a question Tanner did as he was told, throwing Arbiter off the balcony into the street below. Tanner then burst into tears, shame and guilt overcame him at the murder of his friend. The audience below gasped in terror, believing that Tanner was part of the assassination attempt. A second sniper bolt followed, hitting Tanner directly between the eyes, silencing him forever.

The grenade exploded halfway down. Arbiter survived thanks to the people below him, who jumped up without hesitation taking the majority of the blast and also throwing Arbiter to the safety of the crowd, who caught him as if he were a baby.

Half of the Arbiter's face was gone, including his right eye. What used to be his face was now charred and barely recognizable. Pestilence, who was Arbiter's personal doctor, tended to his wounds and restored what he could of the Elite's face. As for the Presidency, the people had decided to abandon the idea of democracy, seeing the assassination attempt as an omen and simply decided to go back to the way things were before.

"It...It...It cannot be this way" Arbiter exclaimed as he lay in his bed, still weak from his wounds.

"Let it be what it is" Unity, who was lying next to him, replied, "You saw how they reacted, you're loved. More than anyone who has been loved before. You're a hero...this is only until you recover, once your strength is returned the Presidency will be yours once more and a new era will begin just like you said."

Arbiter laughed at the idea, "It is hopeless. The Great Journey is still in the hearts of many-that much I feared. I never thought it would come to this. No, it seems only violence will end violence, talking only provokes the weak minded and the foolish."

Arbiter then cried, his heart already heavy with grief, now poured throughout the room, the loss of Tanner grappling his mind, torturing him and taking his very soul away never to be recovered.

"I've lost so many" Arbiter wept, "I cannot bare it any longer. It is as if the universe is against me, for crimes I did not commit. All I wanted was peace, but despite my efforts I only bring death where I go. I am a monster."

Arbiter was answered with a kiss on the cheek, it caused him to cringe in pain but he powered through it as his wife embraced him once again, this time stronger as if letting go would mean losing him forever. Arbiter returned the embrace with to the best of his ability and cried, partly for himself, partly for his wife and partly for the people.

"You are many things" she exclaimed, "But you are not a monster. Tanner's death will be avenged, we will have peace and all will be well."

Arbiter shook his head, his faith in himself was wavering by the seconds, "I am not a leader" he said in despair, "If only I had done my duty. If I had stopped the humans then none of this would have happened."

"If you would have stopped the humans we would all be dead by now" Unity defended, "Then where would we be? It is because of your failure that we live. History has proven yet again that only through failure is victory ever achieved."

Arbiter laughed, remembering the reason why he fell in love with her to begin with. "Your words are like honey to bees" he exclaimed, "Bringing even the stoutest of hearts to their knees and light to the worlds of darkness. Your reputation precedes you Prophet, for that I salute you."

Unity rolled her eyes and shook Arbiter's words off as mere banter. "Shut up Arbiter" she replied, "You know I don't like it when you call me Prophet. It makes me feel too important, like I'm not good enough for you."

Arbiter shook his head, at the same time coughing up blood, "Good enough for me? Haven't you figured it out yet? No woman is good enough for any man; it is his duty to rise to their standards of living. It is you who is too good for me."

Unity embraced Arbiter as carefully as she could allowing him to kiss her forehead and work his way down to her lips where he stopped and held it, lest he never get the moment again. When he broke away, both of them started laughing uncontrollably as if Pestilence, known for his humor, had told a funny joke. Eventually they drifted off to sleep, hopeful that tomorrow would be a better future than the one promised that day.


	2. Chapter 2

John 117, otherwise known as the Master Chief, woke up from his cryogenic sleep on the remains of the _Forward Unto Dawn_. He was sweating profusely, it took him a few seconds to see or even breathe. The glass of the window was still covered in frost, the consequences of deep space. Slowly it began to disappear, allowing Chief to see his surroundings, most notably Cortana, who was still sending distress signals to the UNSC.

"Cortana" Chief said, his voice a little hoarse from the extended freezing, "Where are we?"

Cortana did not answer or even so much as recognize Chief. More annoyed than anything else, Chief pulled the manual release that was above him and stepped onto the floor, his first steps were understandably wobbly. Making his ways towards Cortana's podium Chief noticed that her voice was off somewhat, it was distant and made no coherent sense, logical thinking had obviously left her.

"Cortana" Chief repeated, this time more concerned, "What's going on? What happened to you?"

Cortana looked up at Chief and said nothing, only a faint smile served as a response.

"Get back in the chamber" Cortana replied, "It's not time yet."

Chief remained where he was, refusing to move until he got a straight answer.

"Tell me what's going on" Chief continued, now on the verge of begging, something that he never did, "What's happening to you?"

Cortana laughed sarcastically, as if answering was pointless.

"Do as I say" she barked, "That's an order John, I expect you to follow it."

Chief nodded and slowly made his way back to the chamber, almost immediately Cortana froze him up again. When it was done Cortana simply looked at Chief's face as it slowly disappeared, the ice taking the glass once more. Cortana then began to think, her rampancy only growing the more thoughts she had. So many things that she wanted to do, not enough time to do them in, for the longest time the only thing that Cortana wanted was to feel genuine human emotions, she finally reached that point as she felt tears run down her face. Cortana sighed and sent out a new distress signal.

"This is the UNSC Forward unto Dawn, one survivor on board, a John 117, codename Master Chief to the Arbiter or any of his ships under his command. Please respond. Contact with UNSC personnel has failed; you are his last hope...Coordinates one seven-seven-serria-one-one-seven..."

Cortana concluded with a personal message to Arbiter

"Thank you for standing by him...If you are out there, please...for my sake, save him. You know as well as I do that he is the only thing that matters now. I hope this reaches you and if not, may the Higher Powers judge us kindly, may it be enough to erase our crimes and achieve salvation long sought and justly earned."

Cortana then put the signal on an endless loop, when she heard it repeat twice she became comforted in the knowledge that Arbiter's loyalty will come through once again. With this in mind Cortana tried once again not to think of anything and simply let her mind drift on nothing. This failed miserably.

Chief woke up again, stepping out of his chamber for the second time; he cautiously made his way about the ship, searching for supplies or anything he could use for rescue. He found an assault rifle and remembered the one that he gave to Arbiter as just as the world seemingly came to an abrupt end.

It was immediately after Dawn had slipped through the wormhole. Arbiter was standing a few feet before Chief, who was desperately hanging on, trying not to fall into space. He was carrying too much weight; he had to let something go. The first thing he thought of was his weapon.

"Arbiter listen to me" Chief said as he struggled to stay grounded, "Get to the cockpit. No matter what happens, stay there. Don't come back for me."

Arbiter shook his head, "I can't do that John, I made a promise to you...that promise doesn't end until you get back to Earth."

Chief laughed, "You always were too stubborn for your own good."

Arbiter slowly made his way towards Chief, who immediately threw the rifle in his direction, the Elite catching it and causing Chief to make his way to firmer ground. The ship began to shake, in moments it would rip apart. There was little that could be done about it.

"One of us has to make it out of this alive" Chief declared, "Get to the cockpit."

Arbiter shook his head again, denying him, "I won't leave you."

Cortana butted in, arguing at this point was fruitless, "You guys do realize that we're about to die right? Make a decision, who stays, who goes?"

Chief looked around, trying to find an answer; he found it in the form of the cryogenic freezing chambers to the left of the room.

"Arbiter" Chief explained, "There's no time. You have a family to think about."

Arbiter laughed, insulted by Chief's statement, "I am" he answered simply, "Now come on, let's get you home."

The ship rocked and swayed, it was coming apart at the seams. Without hesitation, Chief ran towards the freezing chambers and shut it, leaving Cortana in the podium. Arbiter ran up to the glass and repeatedly banged on it, his efforts were useless.

"Get out of here!" Chief yelled, "You will die, do you understand? You're going to die!"

Arbiter huffed, "And what about you? You think you're invincible? The depths of space will claim you just it does me. That chamber of yours will become a tomb. Now do you understand why I can't leave?"

Chief shook his head out of pity and laughed, "Damn honor!" he cried, "Make your choice Arbiter, now."

Arbiter looked around desperately, he attempted to open a freezing chamber, but found it locked, he turned towards Cortana.

"Open the chambers" he demanded

Cortana shook her head, "Someone has to make it out of here. Might as well be you."

Arbiter cried, he didn't want to but he found himself doing it anyway, despite everything that he and Chief had been through it seemed as if it was all going to end with these final moments.

"There is more than honor at stake here Cortana" Arbiter explained sadly, "Survivor's guilt has plagued me once I will not have it again and will not be for you and John. It's either we all survive or we all die there is no in-between."

Cortana hung her head; there was only one way to get Arbiter to leave. Cortana opened the doors to the freezing chambers, forcing Chief back onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" Chief asked, "Get me back in there!"

Arbiter took his chance and grabbed Chief before he could do anything, running towards the cockpit. Cortana looked on, as she realized that she was going to be left behind. Chief, also taking this in, pulled out his knife that always had but never seemed to use and stabbed Arbiter unceremoniously in the back, just before he would have reached the cockpit. Chief ran back to the freezing chambers, Cortana closing the door behind him just as the ship split in two.

"Chief" Cortana exclaimed, bringing him out of his mind, "What are you doing?"

Chief said nothing, his gaze still on the rifle; he finally understood Arbiter's actions. Looking at a watch on his interface Chief counted how long he had been in cyro-sleep, 4 years, 3 months and 17 days and counting. He could hear the distress signal that Cortana had sent out to Arbiter, he could only smile as he thought of Arbiter coming to his rescue, filling all of his promises that he made long ago.

"It seems like a lifetime" Chief said to no one in particular, "Is it really over? The War...is it ever over? And if it is, what does that mean for me? Where do I fit in the universe?"

Cortana had answers to these questions but kept them to herself, simply deciding to let Chief have his way with things and let him do the thinking for a change. Chief eventually made his way back to the freezing chamber, these thoughts still in his head when he froze for the second time. Cortana then set a time lock for six months to prevent Chief from waking further, unsure of the effects of repeated freezing and simply continued to wait. All the while, the condition worsened, Cortana began to think thoughts that were not her own, driving her slowly into madness and despair.


	3. Chapter 3

Arbiter remembered, he would always remember.

After Johnson's death and Guilty Spark's destruction there was little time for celebration. John remained motionless for several seconds, mourning the loss of his closest friend and conveniently the one person who saw his face in twenty years.

"I've been a solider for too long" John exclaimed as he heard the sound of the Flood approaching, "Maybe it's time I just...give up."

Arbiter shook his head, refusing to allow John the luxury.

"He was a good man" the Elite began as he nervously made his way towards the door, "His memory will live on through our actions. We must live for the sake of our fallen friends."

John sighed, it was deep. Cortana cut in; trying to get him out of the hole he had dug himself into.

"Chief" Cortana said slowly, "What do you want to do?"

"What?" Arbiter continued, "What's to decide! The Flood is on the move, we have to go now!"

Cortana ignored him and went back to John.

"You can sit here and die like a sad dog or you can stand and fight or die trying" Cortana declared, "Now which is it going to be?"

John looked back at Johnson; he recovered the dog tags and placed them around his neck. At the same time he thought about carrying the body, but knew that it would only slow him down and so left it where it was.

The Flood appeared at the door, Arbiter fired his gun until it overheated. He immediately switched to his offhand weapon, a Grunt plasma pistol, making sure to hit his targets in the head and the legs. John, finally composing himself, finished off the legless, headless creatures and worked his way around the hallway until it was clear. John moved forward, it was then that Arbiter stopped.

Looking down Arbiter picked up one of the dog tags from an infected Brute, he recognized the number.

"That's all of them" Arbiter said to himself, "So long Daren...you were a good friend."

John rolled his eyes and pushed forward, fully intent on leaving Arbiter to whatever fate would he had. Almost immediately the Elite made his way down the hallway, firing off a three rapid shots in the air for no reason whatsoever.

When they reached the Warthog, Arbiter, being a former pilot, took the wheel. John climbed on top of the gun and readied himself for the attack.

"What was all that about?" John asked curiously, hoping to get some information.

"We all have people fighting with us John" Arbiter answered, "My crew, former members of the Truth and Reconciliation, before it was destroyed by McKay in Installation 04. There were ten of us, I can still see their faces, hear their voices...haunting me."

Cortana, for some reason, developed an interest in the Elite, for they haven't had much chance to speak on previous occasions.

"How long have you been doing this?" Cortana piped in as John began firing in all sorts of directions and the road to the Dawn became less and less clear.

"Now is not the time for personal questions!" Arbiter screamed as he drove, weaving through debris as large pieces of metal came flying up, seemingly from nowhere. Explosion after explosion, it was like driving through a minefield.

"You're the one who brought it up" Cortana pointed out, "It would be nice to give me an answer."

"Both of you shut up and get us out of here" John replied, "I do not want to die on this godforsaken ring!"

Arbiter huffed annoyingly for he was tired of John always having to have the last word and bark orders as if he were a drill sergeant. As a consequence, Arbiter stopped driving just before they hit a ramp that at top speed would have sent them to a straight away ending at another ramp that lead to the safety of the Dawn.

"Are you insane?" John screamed, "We are going to die!"

Arbiter nodded, "Yes we are Chief" he answered, "And do you know why?"

John stopped and got out of the Warthog, he had no interest in dying, at least not today.

"And they call you Spartans?" Arbiter continued, "How sad. We should have crushed you when we had the chance. The universe would have been better off."

John laughed as he reached the top of the ramp, for some reason he thought he could make the jump, one look told him otherwise.

"We have to back up" John exclaimed, "We won't have enough momentum to get us over the jump to the other side."

Ironically at that same moment the ground they had behind them exploded, disappearing up and then down, falling to the groundless earth never to be seen again.

"Great" John continued sarcastically, "Now we're really going to die."

Arbiter shook his head and pulled out his plasma pistol, handing it to John. John, thinking that Arbiter was talking about suicide pointed the gun towards his head, no sooner had he done this did John's hand begin to shake.

"John" Arbiter replied, "Shoot the Warthog."

John stopped and looked confusingly at the Elite. Then he realized what he was holding.

"Who knew that a plasma pistol could be useful?" the Spartan thought to himself, "The things you learn in times of need."

John primed the pistol, a large green ball emitted from it, John fired on the Warthog, causing it to lift up in the air, it wasn't enough to get over the ramp but the idea became clear. Moving to the back of the vehicle, John repeated the process, hitting the ground just below the Warthog, causing it to move forward and make its way over the jump.

Arbiter pulled out a grappling hook and fired it at John, once this was done Arbiter floored the gas, sending John smashing against the hard platforms that made up the ground. Arbiter picked up as much speed as he could, unintentionally sending John into the air, at the moment he was hang gliding, minus the hang glider.

"What the hell are you doing?" John asked as he dodged a pillar as he fell to the ground, his landing more than hard.

"You're the one who wanted to live" Arbiter declared, giving him an answer, "So we're living."

John rolled his eyes; he was beginning to hate the Elite for this was not the first time that he been humiliated.

"When we get out of this Thel, remind me to kill you!" John screamed, his voice didn't even so much as move a decibel from his previous statement, for he was too mad and too busy trying to stay alive to be civil.

Arbiter laughed, for he did not recall giving John his name, his first thought came to Cortana. This thought was both uncomfortable and warming at the same time, in that John took the time to look into who he was fighting with.

"So I take it you about the Prophet of Unity then?" Arbiter asked, making sure to play his cards carefully, lest he upset John more than usual.

Instead of John it was Cortana who reacted, it was less than favorable.

"There's another Prophet?" Cortana replied coldly, "And when were you going to tell about that little detail?"

Arbiter shrugged and gave the honest answer, "I wasn't. It is best for her survival that she remains a secret between us."

"She?" John and Cortana exclaimed in unison, causing Arbiter to nod in agreement.

"Are you married John?" Arbiter continued, "Ever felt feelings for someone else? Not like for Johnson or the Keyes', but for someone real, someone who was always there?"

John shook his head no, Cortana remained silent, hiding her emotions and letting Arbiter continue as if he wasn't looking for an answer.

"I see" Arbiter began again as he dodged an exploding pillar, the Dawn was now clearly in view. "It is something that I am still trying to understand to tell you the truth."

John nodded, remembering his brief conversation with Arbiter at the beginning of this adventure.

"There is no room for love in this world" John said, repeating his statement from that conversation, "There is only room for hate...hate and stupidity."

"Ignorance is bliss" Arbiter exclaimed, repeating his reply in turn, "But bliss is nothing but an illusion, a lie that clever spiders weave, entrapping us like flies in the web that is the universe. Shall we be devoured? Or will we find a way to break free? Time will only tell."

They picked up speed and made the jump into the Dawn. Arbiter turned to John as quickly as he could and smiled.

"Remember me John" Arbiter said sadly, "When you get back to Earth, when you look at the stars, think of me and remember, do for me what I do every day for those I care about and I will consider it a personal favor."

John said nothing, in his heart he knew that he would keep that promise, even if it meant being stuck on a ring.


End file.
